The most common domestic adoptions in the private sector are of infants. Generally, adoptive families are able to be matched with a prospective birth mother during her pregnancy. The adoptive family is then often invited to be at the hospital for the child’s birth or to begin bonding with the child shortly after birth. In Florida, the birth mother’s consent to adoption can be taken 48 hours after the delivery or earlier, if the birth mother has been discharged from the hospital by her doctor. Although the hospital will discharge the baby to the adoption entity, the baby will leave the hospital grounds with the adoptive family as long as their home study is completed and up to date.
Most often, the birth parents select the adoptive family after reviewing the adoptive family’s profile and birth parent letter. Medical information is provided to the adoptive family so that the adoptive family can fully consider the match. The birth mother and birth father are asked to complete a social and medical background and medical records from prenatal care and delivery are requested and provided to the adoptive family with confidential information removed.
Many, but not all, domestic infant adoptions are semi-open adoptions. This means that the birth parents and adoptive parents meet and the adoptive parents agree to provide pictures and updates on the child; however, confidentiality is maintained. Depending on the comfort level of the involved individuals, these semi-open adoptions can lead to more open situations where last names and contact information are shared.
If you have questions about domestic infant adoption, or if you are interested in adopting an infant, please contact Tate Healey Webster ([email protected] or 813.258.3355). The attorneys at Tate Healey Webster have focused their practice on adoption law for a combined total of over 120 years and have helped complete thousands of adoptions. Click HERE to learn what considerations to take into account when selecting an adoption attorney.
Click HERE if you have questions about what financial resources may be available to assist you on your adoption journey.